Gaelic Games McRory Cup final: St Patrick's Academy 0-8 St MacCartan's 0-6 Yesterday's MacRory Cup final, at Casement Park, was put deep into the shadows by what had gone before it - the final of the MacLarnon Cup that was a real cliff-hanger laced with good football.
In stark contrast, the senior decider was exceptionally poor as St Patrick's Academy, Dungannon, emerged two points winners. There was very little good football played by either team with St Patrick's deserving winners despite failing to score over the closing 30 minutes.
St MacCartan's gave the ball away continuously and made life easy for St Patrick's. Their captain and main marksman Paul McGuigan was kept at full-forward but could have been better employed as he got few chances of showing his talents.
St Patrick's, who knocked Hogan and MacRory Cup holders Maghera off their throne in the semi-finals led by 0-4 to 0-0 after 19 minutes.
Karl McGuckin opened the scoring on eight minutes and wily winger Paul Forker sent over the other three points. Points by Shane Smyth and Paul McGuigan (free) brought St MacCartan's into the hunt but those efforts were wiped out by Cathal O'Neill and Forker to leave the Tyrone boys 0-4 clear at the break.
As skipper Ciaran Donnelly and McGuckin increased St Patrick's lead four minutes into the second half a rout looked on but then the winners' scoring dried up. St MacCartan's, with Stephen McAleer and Daithai McKeown working hard in midfield, launched a series of promising attacks but the final pass often went astray.
St MacCartan's finished with points from McKeown and McGuigan - too little, too late - as the below par game ground to its conclusion. One player who can look back on a job well done is St Patrick's Martin Murray who won the Man of the Match award.
St Louis' Kilkeel won the excellent MacLarnon Cup final, beating St Columb's Derry by 2-7 to 1-9.
ST PATRICK'S ACADEMY: P Laverty; R McGurk, D Lynch, P Girvan; D McCaul, S O'Hagan, M Murray; E Laverty, R Mulgrew; C O'Neill (0-1), C Donnelly (0-1), K McGuckin (0-2); J Grimley, G McCaughey, P Forker (0-4). Subs: O Coyle for E Laverty 51 mins; J Laverty for McCaughey 57 mins; B O'Neill for McGurk 61 mins.
ST MacCARTAN'S COLLEGE: D Callery; G Trappe, R Garvey, N McRory; M Morgan, M McCaffrey, JT Traenor; S McAleer, D McKeown (0-1); D Rooney, N Traenor, J McQuaid; N Morgan (0-1), P McGuigan (0-3, 0-2 frees), S Smyth (0-1). Subs: S Coyle for McQuaid (29 mins); N McAdam for Trappe half-time; B McKenna for Rooney 40 mins; P Atkinson for Smyth 55 mins.
Referee: B Crowe (Cavan).
